We all know that the healthiest meals are what we prepare ourselves from whole ingredients, but when you've been working late, when you're the only one who can drive the kids to the hockey rink (or the dog to the vet), when you don't have time to focus on food preparation and you don't want to leave a pile of dishes in the sink for when you get back—we do our best to stock choices that you can feel good about. The team at Kardish has compiled a list of five foods that are easy, for when life isn't.

1. Need a Quick, Dairy-Free Breakfast?

Looking for something to spread on a bagel, but can't stomach dairy? Zengarry Cashew Cheese is not only dairy-free, it's rich, creamy, and as spreadable as cream cheese. It's also a local product, made only about an hour away from Ottawa using raw organic cashews and few added ingredients. The best part is Zengarry Cashew Cheese isn't limited to just one or two non-dairy options, that you might see on big box store shelves. On our shelves you can find flavours that range from Raw Brie to Smokey Jalapeño, Garlic & Fine Herbs, as well as Sun Dried Tomato and Basil. These dairy-free cheeses can be used in pasta sauces, layered bean dips, and quesadillas, but when you need to dash out of bed and eat something before your day starts, they make excellent savoury spreads. 

2. Need a quick side dish?

Easy side dishes come in handy when you try a new recipe, but find that there's not quite enough for a satisfying meal. One healthy option is GoGo Quinoa's ready-to-cook sides. From their 5 grain mix to dairy-free soup, these options are vegan-friendly, gluten-free, are certified organic, and are prepared in St Laurent, Quebec. You could make your own colourful, creative sides with cooked red and black quinoa, seasonings, lemon juice and olive oil. Also, quinoa may be even better for you than you thought! Along with tofu and sushi, the New York Times recently listed it as a food that experts are more likely to consider healthy, when compared to opinion from the general public.

3. Need a meat-free option,
but are tired of veggie burgers?

Looking for a meat-free meal that isn't a veggie burger? Noble Bean is a Canadian company (based out of Montréal) with the goal of creating a meat alternative that's better than tofu -- tempeh! Noble Bean tempeh is vegan, gluten-free and high in protein. Organic soybeans are transformed into a super-food through natural culturing and fermentation. It's a delicious, nutty-flavoured whole food that tastes great in a variety of dishes including this marinated peanut tempeh. Oh, and they also make great veggie burgers.

4. Need just a few greens in a recipe?

When you think of your worst experiences with frozen vegetables, do you picture shrivelled lima beans, freezer burnt broccoli, limp peppers, and water chestnuts that smell like bad compost? It can be hard to believe, but frozen vegetables can be more nutritious than their "fresh" counterparts that have been shipped long distances, since vitamins break down and degrade over time. But all of that depends on how fresh the vegetables were before they were frozen. Stahlbush is a sustainable, family farm located in Oregon’s lush Willamette Valley! If you don't have experience preparing kale or butternut squash, Stahlbush maintains a helpful list of recipes on their website. You can also saute veggies with garlic and a splash of olive oil, or just toss them into pasta sauce or stir fry.

5. Need a crowd-pleaser, fast?

When all else fails, there's pizza. Daiya's deliciously dairy-free pizzas are also free of gluten, peanut, eggs, meat, and soy. Look for Daiya's Cheeze Lovers, Margherita, and Fire Roasted Vegetable pizzas in our freezers.

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We hope that our suggestions can make mealtimes a little easier for you. If you have advice for an easy meal, side, or cooking tip, and would like to share it with our community, please get in touch with us on Instagram: @kardishfoods